I want to try crappie fishing this spring. Is there any good YouTube channels to watch. Will fish mostly Chickamauga and Nickajack. I know how to bass and catfish but never tried crappie. Don't even know how to find them.
Crappie fishing question
- Thread starter Laserman1
- Start date
Brandon Lester fishing
Thanks guys
I am possibly the world's worst crappie fisherman, but from everything I hear almost all of the docks across from Chesterfrost are loaded in the spring. The Wolftever area is another one that is supposed to great. I have literally stood there catching bream after bream while my buddy was beside me catching one crappie after the next.
Crappieaddict
Well-Known Member
Despite my screen name, life has really limited my fishing. That being said, this time of year can bring pretty good crappie fishing. They should be grouped up so when you find them, you'll find a bunch.
If you don't mind colder weather, I wouldn't wait for spring. I'd get after the next couple months.
How would you like to fish? Trolling? Spider rigging? Single pole? I assume you have a boat.. what electronics/graphs/sonar do you have?
How would you like to fish? Trolling? Spider rigging? Single pole? I assume you have a boat.. what electronics/graphs/sonar do you have?
I would get a basic depth finder if you don't have one and start out in 10-14 ft of water. I would troll around in that depth and try to find drop offs and creek channels. I would then try to follow that depth change and try to locate structure (stumps, brush piles, stake beds). Fish those structures 10-15 minutes changing baits if you don't get any bites then move along and find another.
I have a tracker 175 TWX. . Hook 5 on front and helix 7 on console.
ADR
Well-Known Member
With your set up, I would learn to long line. Try to find up lake creek channels and specifically look for drop offs in about 14' +/-. I generally troll about 1 mph with grub/tube/swim bait of your choice. It's nice when you can find some straight stretches that are out of the wind. Good luck.
Right now is when you need to be going.
Goodfield creek on Chickamauga is always a crappie hotspot but it gets fished a lot. Hiwassee River is where I normally go, and fish the creek mouths on it.
Goodfield creek on Chickamauga is always a crappie hotspot but it gets fished a lot. Hiwassee River is where I normally go, and fish the creek mouths on it.
Urban_Hunter
Well-Known Member
I strongly recommend letting Rsimms hook you up with a guide. 1/2 day is very affordable and you'll learn more in 4 hours from an expert than you can figure out in 100 hours in your own. Captain Mike absolutely loaded our boat and took the time to show us how to use the electronics to find and catch fish, bait presentation tactics, etc.
I'll not forget going duck hunting one cold, cold morning years ago on Normandy Lake and seeing a car & trailer in the parking lot with frost on the windshield. Obviously, it had been parked there overnight. My buddy & I were concerned that someone had gotten themselves in trouble. We went on our hunt and when we got back to the ramp, the car was still there. We loaded up and were going to go call 911 when the person came motoring up to the ramp. After he got loaded up, we started talking to him and asked if he'd been on the water all night. He said yes, he'd read an article in one of the outdoor magazines about night fishing for crappie during the winter. We asked if he got cold and he said it wasn't too bad. He had a horse blanket wrapped around his shoulders with a kerosene heater between his legs. Asked if he caught any and he was right proud that he'd caught 3 but said they were dinks.
This time of year at Goodfield, you can tell when they are catching them. They'll be a dozen or more Mexicans out there wading up to their waist in the water and mud. Some of the smarter ones will be on kayaks. Either way...there's no getting up or down the creek in a boat because they have it blocked. I have sat there at the mouth of it and catch fish on every cast. Never tried it at night though. But winter is my favorite time to fish for them.
Wiley
Well-Known Member
Most all of the crappie fishermen are wearing them out down here on Guntersville right now and have been since October.
Personally, I think cold water makes the fish better for eating. The flesh is firmer IMHO
Harold Money jr
Well-Known Member
I know of a few people who are catching limits of 14-17' crappie. The catch is they are catching em from 4:30a-daylight. When the sun comes up it's over according to my friends.
Urban_Hunter
Well-Known Member
What body of water? This is interesting… I can't catch any keepers at the moment
Wow! Definitely want more details. I would've never thought that this time of year.
They can have em! I love to catch them but not in the predawn freezin temps
I do just fine april-july
Harold Money jr
Well-Known Member
Redblood, That's why it didn't read "We've" been catching them before sunrise. lol, I know several specific places at certain docks and below dams in specific spots, that turn on in the dark of morning on the coldest nights of the year. My question is who found them first?
Harold Money jr
Well-Known Member
Urban Hunter, The areas I know are below Watts Bar Dam, Chickamauga Dam and commercial docks on Watts Bar, Chickamauga, Douglas and Norris Lake. They are in specific slips at the docks, and anywhere from 3' to 30' deep. The big ones I just spoke about are coming deep in front of a floating commercial dock from a boat actually fishing a big concrete anchor. The school I'm speaking of has about 1,000 fish in it. Some people walking around fishing their slips are catching fish just as well.
East TN Bowhunter
Well-Known Member
I wore them out on brush/trees 2 weekends ago. caught probably 25-30 crappie and several were 13-15inch using a 1/16oz pink head with crappie magnet jig. Couldn't catch anything in open water, they were wadded up on the brush big time. It was a lot of fun and finally caught them in a way I never have before.
Wooden Arrow
Well-Known Member
some big black-nosed crappie caught on deep stumps in Boone in winter.
lol. i went the other day and it was 60 degrees but still cold on that water
East TN Bowhunter
Well-Known Member
Some of these were black nose but further south than boone
Wolfe creek when the water temp is between 60-70 degrees push or troll .5-.75 mph on the edge of the channel 8-14' with a jig tipped with a minnow . Just that simple. Bigger fish normally hold a little deeper on the 10-14' IMO . On Chick I always red and chartreuse color. Richard Simms turn me on to that color and I catch fish with it.
